Watching The Whale Warriors

Passion, courage, danger, controversy. A new documentary series follows the men and women dedicated to wiping out Japanese whaling.

At a time in which we're too often called upon to think about our own security, it can be all too easy to forget that there are other vitally important causes that require our attention just as much.

One man who's never forgotten this and never will is Captain Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a radical environmental organisation. After nearly forty years, his passionate commitment to eliminating the practices of whaling, poaching, shark farming and the destruction of marine habitat.

Captain Paul Watson was a co-founder of Greenpeace in the early '70s. Midway through the decade he broke away and formed the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, driven by the belief that a much tougher approach was needed to effectively combat whalers and other violators of ocean law.

Every winter since then, he and his group of volunteers have engaged in a campaign to hunt down and stop Japanese ships from killing whales in the name of research. Called activists and heroes by some, eco-pirates by others, their work is dangerous, controversial and has garnered huge media interest worldwide.

Whale Wars, a new documentary series beginning on the Discovery Channel on Monday 27th April charts the latest endeavours of the team aboard the Steve Irwin. A heady mix of ecological education and nail-biting adventure, there's every cause to watch it.